


The Lone Traveler

by missmichellebelle



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Doctor Who, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, First Meetings, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-18
Updated: 2013-05-18
Packaged: 2017-12-12 06:05:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/808158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmichellebelle/pseuds/missmichellebelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So after so much running, and so many times, and so many places, and so many threats to his life and limbs, Darren should maybe be used to getting left behind a few times. But it still fucking sucks to wander around on some unknown planet by himself, just because the Doctor got a little too exuberant and ran off.</p><p>Actually, Darren can't really hold anything against him for that. He's lost count of how many times the Doctor's had to chase him down because he got a little too excited.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lone Traveler

It's not the first time it's happened, but it also doesn't stop Darren from feeling at least a little exasperated. He doesn't have an issue with strange places, and it's not like being alone _kills_ him or anything—he's a big boy, and he likes to think he can handle himself a good portion of the time. Darren thinks, maybe, that's why the Doctor chose him, even though it wasn't so much as being chosen as being happened upon. Maybe Darren's just lucky.

Or unlucky, when he thinks back on all the things he's done and seen and nearly died from since then. But he doesn't like to think too much about it, it tends to get him down.

So after so much running, and so many times, and so many places, and _so many_ threats to his life and limbs, Darren should maybe be used to getting left behind a few times. But it still fucking sucks to wander around on some unknown planet by himself, just because the Doctor got a little too exuberant and ran off.

Actually, Darren can't really hold anything against him for that. He's lost count of how many times the Doctor's had to chase _him_ down because he got a little too excited.

It could be worse, though. They're not being chased by anything, and no one seems to be openly hostile. In fact, it's kind of like an open air market, with booths made of stone or wood or… Well, Darren isn't quite sure what some of it is. The streets are soft, covered in a strange kind of lavender colored grass that grows up to his knees and doesn't seem to flatten no matter how many people walk over it. There are people—aliens?—selling all sorts of things, from food to clothing to curious wares.

Darren becomes distracted by what look like wind chimes, except that the crystals and whistles aren't kept together by any means he can see with his eyes, and they sway and sing without the aid of wind. But as soon as the merchant—a stout woman, with a very large face that reminds Darren of a toad—catches sight of him, he turns and keeps looking. After all, he doesn't know what the currency is here, and the last time he bought something without the Doctor, he wasn't able to grow facial hair for two weeks.

He's still not quite sure what it is they did to him.

There's a performance going on at the end of whatever lane he's wandering down, and he stops with the crowd to watch. A woman unfolds herself like a paper chain, bending and swirling and dancing with a dozen copies of herself, like none of them have bones. Then again, if Darren could slice himself up that many times, he probably wouldn't want bones either. It must be quite a sight, even for—fuck, where did the Doctor say they were? Darren only remembers that it was _supposed_ to be the rings of Saturn, but the Doctor hardly ever takes them where they're supposed to be going. Either way, he's getting shoved around quite a bit, until he's stumbling sideways into someone and knocking them out of the crowd of spectators and down into the grass.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Darren really hopes he didn't just offend some alien species, because he is shit at the whole customs things. The Doctor once told him about a bar fight he escaped just from sitting in the wrong chair.

Whoever it is, they're draped in a long, scarf-like cowl with a hood (that's actually pretty badass, Darren kind of wants one), and picking themselves up rather quickly. Whatever it is, it's most likely male, but Darren has learned that the absence or presence of breasts is really not as reliable a signifier of sex as he once thought.

"Here, let me help you, I feel like an asshole." Even though it hadn't technically been his fault. He holds out his hand, and the stranger takes it—their hand is wonderfully human-like, and Darren probably holds a little more tightly than he otherwise would just because of the familiarity of it. It's incredibly easy to help them up, like they weigh close to nothing, and Darren feels that prickle of curiosity, wondering who and what they are. "I really am sorry."

"Don't be." They straighten themselves up, a bit taller than Darren himself is. "Someone pushed you, it's hardly your fault." The hood falls low enough over their face that the only thing Darren can make out is their mouth and chin—a long mouth, and defined features. Darren is thinking male? The voice is a little high, but not exactly feminine; there's still a bit of a timbre there.

Then Darren has to remind himself that this isn't earth, and things aren't always as simple as they are with humans. Although this person's dress—rather tight, their cowl-hood aside—shows off a rather masculine form.

Shit. He's totally checking this alien out.

"You're not from around here." They sound amused, and Darren is relieved when they reach up (their right arm, from hand up to elbow, is decorated in a series of thin, metal bands) and pull their hood down.

Darren gapes.

He's going to say it's a man, at least for now. His brown hair is swooped elaborately, and his ears are more pointed than most humans. He'd look incredibly human, actually, except that every time he blinks, his eyes change color.

It's fascinating.

"I, um, no. I'm not. I'm… Traveling." Which is not a lie, it's just not the whole truth. The stranger raises an inquisitive eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. "With a friend."

"Then we have that in common," he replies, and fiddles with the rings on his fingers. "Without the friend part."

"You're traveling by yourself?" Darren frowns. That can't be very fun. "So you're not from here, either?"

"Do I look like a Kigorian?" He stares at Darren as if he's a little offended. Which might very well be the case, because Darren has no _idea_ what a Kigorian looks like.

"Um. No?" Darren answers, feeling a little panicked. But then the stranger grins at him, and laughs.

"You really are from far away, aren't you?" He looks so incredibly amused. "This isn't Kigor, although they do have many similarities."

"So you're just trying to make me look like an idiot? Because you know more than I do?" Darren's eyebrows pinch together.

"But I do know more than you do," the stranger states, plainly.

"Then you wouldn't be opposed to showing me around? And maybe helping me find the—my friend." Darren has learned that the Doctor's name opens many doors, but it's also just as likely that to end with a dagger to the throat.

"From off planet, and yet you trust me so easily. I could get you in trouble."

Darren laughs—one loud, surprised bark.

"Believe me when I say it wouldn't be the first time." And because Darren has some manners that don't suddenly become negated because he's several star systems away from home, he holds out his hand. "I'm Darren."

A hand tentatively folds around his, holding rather than shaking.

"Chris."

"Chris? That's… Very human." Also something that Darren doesn't have to learn to pronounce. Then again, maybe it actually isn't Chris. Darren doesn't exactly know how the translation matrix works all the time.

"Do I look unhuman to you?" This time, Darren isn't sure if Chris is joking or not.

"Are you human?" Darren is suddenly gripping Chris's one hand with both of his, feeling a crashing wave of homesickness wash over him at the idea of talking to another _human_. Never mind that Chris is probably from New Earth, or New New Earth, or wherever humans come from now. The point is that he's _human_.

"Mostly," Chris responds, looking at Darren strangely. "My grandmother was Llythrin, hence…" Chris gestures towards his eyes, which shift from a dark blue color to a stormy grey.

"It's beautiful," Darren says with conviction, and Chris's eyes widen. "If you're self conscious of them, you shouldn't be. I'd give my left nut to have eyes that change colors."

Chris splutters a laugh, blinking rapidly. Blue-green-blue-grey-green-blue. There appears to be no pattern to it.

"Pretty sure that's a pretty important body part, and careful who hears you." Chris steps closer, looking around. "I'm pretty sure there's a meat vendor here that would be interested."

"Oh god, _seriously?_ " Darren presses his thighs together and shudders. Sometimes he forgets he can't just say shit like that anymore—he's used to hyperbolic figures of speech that it's hard to remember that they might be taken literally in some places.

"Just be careful. Have you tried the cheese?"

"They have cheese here?" Darren perks up, and Chris rolls his eyes.

"Everywhere has cheese. It just has different names sometimes. Come on." Chris starts walking away, and Darren hurries to walk beside him. And, just because he can, he links their arms. Chris looks at him in surprise, and Darren just grins back at him.

It's kind of awesome to walk around on an alien planet, with a beautiful alien—er, sort of—on his arm.

*

Chris knows a lot more than Darren does. Like, sure, if they were back on Darren's version of earth, in a city he was familiar with, he could probably sweep Chris under the rug. But the fact of the matter is that he isn't. He's on Ozta, according to Chris, a planet that is known for large cattle-like creatures with curly hair and luminescent water. He seems baffled that Darren doesn't have any money, but doesn't seem hesitant to buy him this red cheese that turns melty as soon as he bites it, or this strange skewer of meat that tastes weirdly tangy.

He doesn't talk with a lot of words, but more with looks, with the way he raises and arches his eyebrows, and with the slight shifts of his shoulders. He's all body language, and Darren is eager to learn how to read and understand each subtle movement. It's almost funny, how easy it is to walk around with Chris on some strange planet, some ridiculous distance in the future (probably). It's almost like being back home.

Almost.

It's not the first time Darren has made a friend on his adventures with the Doctor—he makes friends quickly, easily, and fiercely. But friendships are hard to maintain across a continent, never mind across space and time. It's kind of shitty, really.

"I'm from the Romeon system," Chris tells him, as they walk. "Not a lot happens there, but it's not the worst place in the universe to live. But I've been saving up for years now, so I could travel a little bit." He smiles, like having the opportunity to see a small slice of the universe is his best accomplishment. It sort of makes Darren feel like an ass, for taking the entirety of the universe and his accessibility to it, for granted.

They pass by the same stand with the weird wind chimes, and Chris explains that they're superstitious charms, said to bring luck, wealth, or even love, depending on which one you buy. When Darren asks about how they float the way they do, Chris says it's a science he doesn't even really understand.

"You haven't told me where you're from," Chris points out, and Darren's eyes widen. Shit, he has no idea how to explain this.

"Right, about that—"

"Darren!"

They both look up, and Darren almost starts laughing, because there's the Doctor, hurtling towards him. He flings right into Darren, gripping his arms and spinning them both in circles.

"You're not supposed to wander off," the Doctor chides him.

"Pretty sure you're the one that wandered off this time," Darren points out. "Besides, Chris has been looking after me. I promise I didn't do anything stupid, or with potentially bad repercussions."

"Chris?" The Doctor asks, and then Chris clears his throat and the Doctor spins to look at him. "Ah! Hello!" The Doctor claps his hands together. "I'm the Doctor, and thank you very much for finding my friend for me."

"Hello," Chris replies, sounding unsure, and then his eyes widen. "Wait, _the_ Doctor?" He looks at Darren. "You never told me your friend was the Doctor."

"Yeah, well… Sometimes it helps, and sometimes it doesn't," Darren mutters, scratching the back of his neck.

"Watch it," the Doctor warns, sending him a look, but Darren just grins. "Anyway, pleasure to meet you, Chris, but we really must be on our way."

"Already?" Darren frowns, but the Doctor is already pushing at his back and making him stumble away. He looks back at Chris, and sees his eyes flicker through shades. He suddenly looks so sad, and resigned.

Chris holds his palm up and manages a rather weak smile.

"It was nice to meet you, Doctor… Darren. Thank you for making my trip a little bit better."

And where Chris says _a little bit better_ , Darren hears _a little less lonely_.

Darren digs his heels into the soft soil.

"Doctor—"

"No, no, I know that voice."

"He's all by himself!" Darren insists, turning around, even as the Doctor continues trying to push him in a certain direction. "And all he wants is to see the universe, he's been dreaming of it his whole life, I mean—isn't that what you're for? Don't you make dreams like that come true?"

The Doctor falters, but then sets his mouth in a firm line.

"I've told you before, Darren. _No pets_."

"I'm not asking to keep him! I know I can't, like, bring him back with me, when this is all said and done." Which Darren doesn't think about, ever, because fuck that. "Just… Take him with us? Just for a little bit? Then we can bring him back here, or somewhere else in… Whatever time it is now." Darren should probably pay attention more.

"I don't _do_ the passengers thing."

"What does that make me?"

"A house guest, now _come on_."

"No." Darren doesn't budge. "You'll just have to leave me here on Ozta. Maybe I'll become a jujop wrangler."

"Wait a tic, how do you know what a jujop is?" The Doctor looks at him curiously.

"Chris taught me a lot in the few hours we ambled around together. _Come on_ , Doctor. This could be good for me. Teach me responsibility or… Some shit like that."

"No, every time I've done this in the past, they've always… Mangled things up. I don't like mangly things."

"Yes you do. You like to unmangle them," Darren points out, and he sort of likes to do it, too. "But fine, if you're worried about him fucking things up worse than I already do, I'll… Take responsibility for him. One thing goes wrong, you drop him off, and you take me home. I won't even bitch too much." The Doctor considers him, tapping his fingers together with a jittery energy, and then he turns around.

Darren doesn't even hold in his whoop of victory.

"I'm holding you to that, you know."

"Oh, I know, but I really don't think it's going to be a problem." If anything, Darren's under the faint impression that Chris being around will keep him out of trouble, rather than put him in it.

He hasn't gone too far, so Darren dashes the last bit of distance and then grabs his wrist.

"Wha—Darren? I thought you'd—"

"Was going to, but. You really shouldn't travel by yourself, Chris. That's like, really fucking depressing. So… Why not come with us?" Darren grins, and gestures over his shoulder where he's sure the Doctor is standing somewhere. Chris stares, perplexed.

"Come with you?" He doesn't sound like he believes it and, to be honest, Darren is still adjusting to it himself.

"Yeah. You wanted to see the universe, right?" Darren's grin grows wider. "I can show it to you."

"Ahem," the Doctor calls loudly from behind him, and Darren rolls his eyes.

"Fine, _he_ can show it to you, to us, that just… Doesn't sound nearly as romantic."

"Were you going for romantic?" Chris asks, his lips quirking in a smile.

"For the love of—what have I let myself be talked into this time?" The Doctor mutters, and Darren just grins. "Come along then! We haven't got all day!"

"Actually, we do," Darren whispers, pulling Chris along with him. "He's just really impatient." He blinks. "Then again, so am I. I guess it works out well for us." Chris is silent beside him, and Darren tilts his head forward a bit and peers at him curiously. "You okay over there?"

"Fine, just… In shock, I think."

"Oh, Chris. You haven't seen _anything_ yet."


End file.
